The Holy Dragon Squad (聖龍隊).
A sword squad belonging to the Murim Alliance, specifically a direct unit under the Alliance Lord.
Their assigned mission was the Alliance Lord's escort and the management of the subordinate sword squads.
But they knew. Their mission was not something like that.
The Alliance Lord at the time, Geomjon, was not a being who needed an escort in the first place.
He was already a famed sword itself wearing a human mask; for a swordsman who no longer needed a sword, an escort was a luxury.
The management of the subordinate sword squads was also unnecessary. From the start, such a task wasn't something the Holy Dragon Squad would do.
As a unit of the Murim Alliance, the Holy Dragon Squad did basic tasks like fighting the Evil Faction or slaying demonic beasts that preyed on the innocent.
Their main mission was not that. Then what was their mission?
It was fixed from the day Geomjon gave the order to the Holy Dragon Squad.
The rift in the sky that threatened all, the Demonic Realm Gate. What lay beyond it.
The Holy Dragon Squad's mission was solely to find out about the Demonic Realm.
Under the command of Gu Cheol-un, who was the Lord of the Holy Dragon Squad at the time, Geomhu was also affiliated.
Besides Geomhu, other masters renowned as outstanding in the current era were also part of the Holy Dragon Squad.
Since it was a unit formed under the noble pretext of blocking the Demonic Realm that threatened the people, Geomhu, who belonged to the Huashan Sect, volunteered to enlist.
At the time, Maehwasun tried to stop Geomhu until the end, but Geomhu left Huashan resolutely and joined the Murim Alliance.
And that choice, even up to now, remained as regret tormenting Geomhu.
Hwaruk-!
Blazing flames rose from Gu Cheol-un's body like a mirage.
Glaring at Geomhu with sharp eyes, Gu Cheol-un spoke.
"I wanted to treat Geomhu as a guest."
"I appreciate the consideration, but that is not what I desire."
The heat grew increasingly intense, filling the room.
The reason the flames bursting through his emotions did not harm the room or Geomhu was because Gu Cheol-un was controlling them even in the midst of it all.
Although the hot heat gradually suffocated her, Geomhu did not circulate her inner qi. There was no need to.
Eventually, when the flames grazed Geomhu's hair.
The flames surrounding them vanished in an instant. Gu Cheol-un spoke to Geomhu in an extremely calm voice.
"That stubborn disposition of yours is still the same."
Gu Cheol-un's tone of voice had already changed.
Gu Cheol-un's voice was mixed with a sigh that seemed somewhat exhausted. Feeling that, Geomhu replied.
"It seems the Lord has changed a lot."
"I have changed, very much so."
It was a different appearance from when Geomhu last faced Gu Cheol-un to take Gu Ryeong-hwa away. In Geomhu's memory, the past Gu Cheol-un was a man like fire, just like the martial arts he used.
If there was something he wanted to do, he accomplished it.
If there was a wall blocking him, he was a man who would burn it down and clear it away.
But what about now?
Despite being a martial artist who had trained in Fire Arts to the extreme, an atmosphere as cold as ice could be felt.
Gu Cheol-un spoke to Geomhu without hiding such a gaze.
"When you said you would take my daughter, I surely told you."
"Yes."
"Not to ask about my wife."
"I remember."
"Then what is this you're doing now?"
"I am... not asking about her. Lord."
"Changing the words doesn't change the meaning. You know better than anyone that it wasn't a pact made to be brushed off with wordplay."
Gu Cheol-un's cold gaze grew increasingly distorted. But Geomhu had no intention of backing down either.
She hadn't moved to Shanxi just to back down here.
"Until right after you disbanded the sword squad, there was something all of us couldn't understand. Even now, it's something I understand even less."
"What is it?"
"How could you understand Geomjon?"
"..."
"You must know, right? Because you are the only survivor who made it out of the Demonic Realm alive."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I'm just curious. Because by now, I've grown dull and broken to resent anyone."
It hadn't been that long, but the karma that had clumped inside had rusted and disappeared as the years passed.
Everyone who belonged to the sword squad at the time must be the same as Geomhu.
"Do you remember how many squad members trusted and followed you?"
Even as she asked Gu Cheol-un, Geomhu thought he would know the answer.
He wouldn't have forgotten. Definitely.
"Cheonhui is the same. I want to know where that child went, but knowing where she came from, I didn't bother trying to look for her."
She must have returned to where she came from. Geomhu held the hope that it was so.
Since she came like the wind and stayed warmly by her side, she must have left like the wind when she returned.
It must have been so.
"Therefore, I ask. What exactly did you see in the Demonic Realm, Lord?"
At Geomhu's question, Gu Cheol-un merely faced her in silence.
That vicious space could hold anything, and anything could be seen.
The Demonic Realm was a place that couldn't be judged by the common sense of those in the present world.
As time passed with silence lingering, Geomhu finally frowned slightly.
It wasn't because she was offended by Gu Cheol-un's lack of an answer.
Gu Cheol-un was just silently staring at Geomhu. Only then did Geomhu realize.
"...Lord."
Gu Cheol-un wasn't not speaking; he couldn't speak.
It was a sight all too familiar to Geomhu. Because it wasn't anyone else, but something she herself was experiencing.
"...How."
Geomhu couldn't finish her sentence to the end.
If Gu Cheol-un had also seen and experienced the same thing as her, there was no way he could speak.
If that was correct, if Gu Cheol-un had also seen that 'tree'....
Just as Geomhu's thoughts deepened, Gu Cheol-un opened his mouth.
"Were you trying to find Cheonhui? If not, for what purpose did you cross the rift again?"
"...!"
"If you saw it too, there's no need to explain. It's not something that can be explained in the first place."
Gu Cheol-un saw it too.
Gu Cheol-un definitely saw that vicious something she had seen. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to say such things.
Gu Cheol-un continued speaking.
"You asked if I understand the elder? I do not understand. I haven't forgiven him either."
"Then, why...!"
"Because it had to be done, I just did it."
At Gu Cheol-un's words, Geomhu finally closed her mouth.
Gu Cheol-un's gaze was indifferent. It felt dark, like looking into an endlessly dug hole.
"I congratulate you on regaining your health. I heard my son put in the effort, so ask my son about that story."
"..."
"I don't know what you saw, or how far you saw, but it's best to stop there."
Geomhu couldn't help but be filled with doubts at Gu Cheol-un's words.
Just from looking at it, she was branded with a restriction that strangled her neck, and because of the turbid qi that had dug into her dantian, she almost lost her life without even being able to resist.
If Gu Cheol-un also saw something, why was he unaffected?
When Gu Yang-cheon treated Geomhu, he said that the Gu family's Heart Technique could drive out turbid qi.
Perhaps, was it thanks to that?
'Even if that were the case.'
Something was empty. Whether it was the contradictory things he was saying.
Gu Cheol-un's gaze, or at the very least, Gu Cheol-un himself felt like something was empty, Geomhu felt.
Gu Cheol-un's inner qi was still the same. As a martial artist, Gu Cheol-un was in his prime.
Perhaps he hadn't neglected his training after rising to the position of Family Lord, as Geomhu could feel an invisible wall.
It was something similar to when looking at a Sect Leader or Geomjon.
'Such a person is only at the level of the Hundred Great Masters?'
It wasn't just a sensation conveyed through feeling the aura, but Geomhu's instincts were telling her so.
Gu Cheol-un was hiding himself.
Information known to the world was infinitely fragile before the truth laid out before her eyes.
The flames he harbored were not merely at that level. And something hidden behind the hot sparks would definitely not be light either.
"...What made you like this, Lord?"
"I don't know what Geomhu is talking about right now."
Gu Cheol-un's tone of voice returned to its original state.
It was an implicit refusal to say no more.
At that reaction, Geomhu swept her hair back with her hand.
"I will visit again..."
"If it's a visit from none other than Geomhu, you are welcome anytime."
A voice without even a speck of dust, let alone a soul, in its words.
Even his gaze was already on the correspondence laid on the desk. That vicious personality of his that didn't consider others seemed to have evolved into a different meaning.
Geomhu slipped out of the Family Lord's office.
And walked through the garden visible ahead.
A servant was following to guide the way from the side, but Geomhu's nerves were entirely focused elsewhere.
She hadn't learned much from the conversation, but she felt like she had obtained a few important pieces.
-Because it had to be done, I just did it.
Gu Cheol-un's words came to mind.
She thought that even if everyone else forgave him, Gu Cheol-un at least would not accept Geomjon.
Over a decade ago, dozens of the Holy Dragon Squad, excluding the few including Geomhu who was bedridden, headed to the Demonic Realm under the Alliance Lord's order.
There was no hesitation.
The Alliance Lord's order was the Holy Dragon Squad's will. And they thought his will was to achieve peace for all.
They were people who had gathered for that in the first place.
As time passed, the Alliance Lord and the Holy Dragon Squad returned from the Demonic Realm.
Seeing them, Geomhu couldn't help but burst into tears.
Of the over thirty sword squad members, less than ten returned. They all wore soulless expressions and said nothing.
A few days later, the survivors who barely returned even took their own lives. They were all masters who hovered at the peak.
None of them were weak in physical or mental strength. Yet such people couldn't endure reality and ended their lives.
Geomhu begged. She told them not to die. She grabbed them, asking if they shouldn't live since they came back alive, but.
In the end, even the youngest of the Holy Dragon Squad, a disciple of Wudang, took his life.
With this incident as the catalyst, Geomjon stepped down from the position of Alliance Lord and disappeared. Gu Cheol-un also declared the disbandment of the Holy Dragon Squad.
What happened there?
Geomhu could never find out.
However, what she could know later was.
That Geomjon's purpose was far from the peace of the Central Plains in the first place.
Sarak, sarak.
The sound of sweeping the fallen leaves gathered in the yard could be heard.
"Did you enjoy your meal?"
Coming out after eating, Geomjon was sweeping the yard.
"Yes, Noya must eat too."
"For someone of my status, eating carelessly is fine..."
"I heard that as you get older, you need to eat more and take better care of yourself. Please don't skip meals."
"Worrying about an old man... thank you, Young Master."
"Yes..."
It was a conversation with Geomjon that I was now somewhat used to.
Or maybe I had become used to Geomjon's appearance as a servant.
"Grandpa!"
Wi Seol-a, who came out from behind, ran and threw herself into Geomjon's arms.
Geomjon stroked the head of Wi Seol-a in his arms, but then spoke in a rather stern voice.
"Seol-a, were you intruding on the Young Master's meal again...!"
"Ah... no... well."
"Tsk! I clearly told you."
Seeing Wi Seol-a completely shrinking back in fear of being scolded, I quickly intervened.
"It's fine. I'm the one who asked her to eat with me."
Young Maaaster....
When I intervened, Wi Seol-a quickly hid behind me. Originally, sharing a table with a servant was an impossible story.
It wasn't a story that concerned me much. It was even more so because it was Wi Seol-a, but I didn't particularly care whether it was Muyeon or Hongwa.
Because of that, I remembered how the servants were terrified when I tried to eat with them during the camp.
Rather than the feeling of sharing a table with the master. It seemed the bigger reason was that eating with me was difficult.
Only lately did everyone seem to have gotten a bit used to it.
[...That's your delusion.]
'Why? Everyone seems to eat well.'
[It's strange that they'd be comfortable eating in front of a fierce-looking bastard like you.]
This old man is saying harsh things again. The kids were eating just fine...
[So be grateful to that girl, because that's a strange thing.]
At Noya's words, I looked not only at Wi Seol-a but also at the two people who were now opening the door and coming out.
It went without saying for Namgung Bi-a, but Dang So-ryeol was also coming out with her.
'I didn't expect Dang So-ryeol to show up.'
It was around dinner time.
After hastily eating lunch and relieving some fatigue in my room, it was exactly evening.
As the meal preparation was finishing, Namgung Bi-a, who was in another pavilion, naturally joined. I was at the point of just letting it be, so I didn't say anything.
The problem was Dang So-ryeol, who followed her in.
She abruptly appeared, saw Namgung Bi-a, and screamed 'Unnie!', startling me.
Fortunately, Dang So-ryeol noticed the people around her and quickly apologized, but it was still a shocking scene.
'Did the two of them fight?'
When I saw them in Sichuan, they seemed to be on very good terms. I wondered what had happened.
While I was telling Geomjon, who was apologizing for Wi Seol-a's behavior, that it was fine, Dang So-ryeol approached me.
With a hesitating gesture, she conveyed her gratitude to me.
"...I apologize for showing you a rude appearance, Young Master."
"I was a little surprised, but it's fine."
"And even the meal hospitality..."
"I asked because I heard you hadn't eaten yet, I hope it wasn't uncomfortable."
"Ah, no! It wasn't uncomfortable at all... Rather, please call me often..."
"Young Master! Shall I bring yakgwa?"
Just as Dang So-ryeol was about to say more, Wi Seol-a wedged herself between the words.
"What yakgwa?"
"We ate rice, so it's a snack!"
"...You're eating more even after eating all that?"
"Hongwa Unnie said that the stomach for rice is separate from the stomach for snacks."
No, from what I see, it just looks like she eats a lot.
'She'll pout if I say this.'
Teasing her about pouting was fun, but I had to remember there was a guest next to me.
I also happened to want something sweet, so I asked Wi Seol-a for yakgwa.
Come to think of it, Dang So-ryeol was trying to say something.
"I'm sorry. What were you saying?"
"...Ah, it's nothing..."
Dang So-ryeol had a somewhat cowed expression on her face.
"...The servant is pretty too..."
She mumbled to herself while looking in the direction Wi Seol-a ran off to.
I was slightly scared that she might really be possessed by a ghost.
Dang So-ryeol, who looked slightly sullen for a moment, spoke to me.
"Um... Young Master."
"Yes."
"The traveling companion I mentioned this afternoon."
"Ah."
She must mean the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
'To be honest, it's a bit annoying.'
The name was grand, but if you looked into the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, it was just a place for late-stage experts to compete for titles.
I wondered what I would do going all the way there. But since the region was Henan, it wasn't without its purpose.
"First of all, I have to speak to the Family Lord, so I can't give you a definite answer."
Of course, it was something my father had to permit.
Since I had traveled to Sichuan and Shanxi this year, I expected he wouldn't let me out anymore.
'If it doesn't work out, it'll give me a pretext to refuse.'
Since the purpose of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering also meant forming connections, not sending one's child or disciple would be stranger.
But this damned family was doing just that.
"Th-Then, if you get a definite answer, please let me know."
"Yes."
Ending the conversation, Dang So-ryeol bowed her head and headed to her pavilion with her escort.
"Are you going?"
After Dang So-ryeol left, I shifted my gaze to the voice that immediately came from beside me.
Namgung Bi-a was looking at me and asking. For a moment, a chill ran down my spine...?
"What's with you all of a sudden? Why are your eyes open like that?"
It feels like she's glaring slightly, is it my imagination?
If she's asking if I'm going, she must be talking about the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. I was about to answer that I didn't know yet, but Namgung Bi-a added first.
"If you go... I'll go with you."
"...What?"
Namgung Bi-a said that and disappeared without even listening to my answer.
'Shin Noya...'
[Don't talk to me. Right now I want to achieve sudden nirvana.]
'...'
I thought about asking something, but since Noya seemed quite angry for some reason, I quietly kept my mouth shut.
After finishing the yakgwa that Wi Seol-a brought, it finally became night.
At a time when everyone would be asleep, I rose alone and took a posture. In my hand, I held the flower I had brought from the Black Night Palace branch.
As planned, I intended to consume the flower tonight.
The demonic qi in my body had been completely purified, and I had gained a very slight sense of how to apply qi following Noya's method.
It should be fine to eat it soon.
[Are you thinking of swallowing it whole?]
"Because that's the most certain."
Whether boiling it or drying it to eat, rather than finding a method.
The way to completely take in the qi that the spiritual herb possesses is to eat it fresh as it is.
[I don't know what reaction will occur in your body. Be careful.]
I heard Shin Noya's words, but I didn't feel particularly worried.
Normally, I would have endlessly worried about what the problem could be and whether it was okay to eat.
Somehow, I just felt like it would be fine.
Without hesitation, I put the petals in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
[You crazy bastard...! Why suddenly...!]
"...!"
Shin Noya exclaimed in shock.
It was because I swallowed it all at once when even eating while absorbing the spiritual herb's qi wouldn't be enough.
"...Why did I do that?"
Noya was like that, but even I, who ate it, couldn't understand.
I swallowed it hurriedly as if someone had told me to. It felt like my will, but also felt like something else.
"...What else."
Thump-!
Feeling something strange, I was about to explain to Noya but urgently shut my mouth.
Emitting a violent vibration, something started to ravage my body.
Something was coming.